Category Archives: Spring Treats

I said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m OBSESSED with cake! But often times I find that my funds are low so on many occasions I have to bypass the spots where I can get my cake fix. When I’m really going through withdrawal and my addiction gets the best of me, I do what I gotta do. That means I head to the kitchen, cookbook in hand, and I raid the cabinets for ingredients that can be combined into something that will suffice.

Claude DeLucca served as my savior in my latest breakdown. Her book 68 Original and Authentic Desserts and Recipesserved as my scripture. There was nothing I needed more than 68 options for dessert. However, I must admit, I feel like DeLucca should’ve incorporated the word “pudding” into her cookbook title because about half of the recipes are pudding recipes. Pudding is great but I’m no Bill Cosby when it comes to it. I’m more of a pastry girl so I found the recipes for “Maria’s Strawberry Shortcake” much more feasible for my purpose.

The recipe was short and sweet, just how I like it. It called for:

2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of lard

1 tablespoon of sugar

pinch of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

*Butter or shortening can be used as a substitute for lard.

Bake ten or fifteen minutes in a good hot oven. Split and fill with mashed and sweetened berries. Cover with whipped cream and garnish with whole berries.

Like this:

I was running around SoHo today after work and I stumbled across Georgetown Cupcakes. I had no idea that they had an NYC location! Anyway, it was only right for me to try one since I’ve watched the show all watery mouthed. It was AMAZING!! I’ll be back soon.

Like this:

No food screams Spring to me more than cupcakes. Granted, I eat cupcakes year round because I have a serious cake obsession, but Spring and Summer is when I really go in.

This semester has been nothing short of hectic for me. I’m running myself into the ground with two jobs and what seems like a million credits and honestly I’m looking forward to Spring Break to rejuvenate. Flowers are budding and trees are blooming so I too need to refresh myself during this new season.

I’ve set aside some time to revisit one of my favorite hobbies– baking. While everyone else is busy cleaning, I’ll be focused on learning how to relax and take a break from being a workaholic. Oh yeah, and naturally I’ll be looking for new foods to experiment with.

A few weeks ago (or months, I lose track of time) I downloaded 25 Delicious Cupcake Recipes- Delicious and Easy Cupcake Recipes for Every Occasion.I wanted to try something refreshing since spring is a refreshing time of year. I opted for the Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes. They were something different, something Springy, and that in my mind, that first big burst of sunshine to let you know winter is well on its way.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest from 1 lemon

2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar, beating on medium high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition.

Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest, beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients in small batches alternately with the sour cream. Fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter in the prepared pans and bake at 350°F for 16 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with your favorite buttercream or cream cheese icing.

FYI– I added some fresh squeezed lemon juice to my batter just to bring out the lemon flavor.